Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to reports that 60 trains will be needed for HS2, how many of the trains will be required to divide into two shorter sets; whether each train will be designed to operate within W6 gauge, or whether there will be two or more designs for different structure gauge limits; whether each train will be required to operate at 360 kph; and whether the trains will be required to have flexible space within the passenger area for prams, pushchairs, wheelchairs and small freight.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Each train is expected to be circa 200 metres fixed unit capable of travelling on both conventional and HS2 dedicated infrastructure. When two are coupled together they are expected to be capable of carrying c.1100 passengers. Trains will be required to achieve the specified journey times. The HS2 dedicated infrastructure will be capable of being operated on at up to 360kph. Analysis is being undertaken to determine the appropriate gauge profile within which the trains will be designed, based on the routes upon which the trains are planned to operate. The interior design of the trains will reflect consultation with stakeholders including the parcel logistics industry.

Cycling: Pedestrian Areas

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy on cyclists cycling on footpaths.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Cycling on the footway is an offence under Section 72 of the Highways Act 1835 (as amended). Police Officers can issue a fixed penalty notice of £50 or prosecute, with a fine of up to £500. The enforcement of cycling offences is an operational matter for individual chief officers of police.

Cars: Exhaust Emissions

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the accuracy of laboratory tests on pre-production cars of air pollutants emitted from vehicles; and what plans they have to enhance the accuracy of such testing.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Department for Transport conducted a Vehicle Emissions Testing programme the results of which were published in April 2016. This involved testing production vehicles on the legislated laboratory test, but also on a range of additional tests including measuring air pollutant emissions during real driving on public roads. Large differences were found when compared to type approval tests on pre-production cars. The government has been at the forefront of action at European level to introduce the new Worldwide harmonised Light-Duty Test Procedure (WLTP) which comes into force from September 2017 and is expected to significantly improve the accuracy and representativeness of laboratory type approval tests.

Public Transport

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence they have about the effects of co-ordinating bus and rail services on the use of public transport; and whether they provide funding to promote such co-ordination.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Decisions on how best to co-ordinate bus and rail services are best tackled locally. The needs of all public transport users must be taken into account when considering how to manage the different public transport networks. Changes at one station or location may benefit passengers there but may be a disadvantage to passengers further along the route. Through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, the Department for Transport has provided funding for measures to improve integration between bus and rail services. A report on some of the lessons learnt from this Fund includes information on the effects on patronage of improved modal interchanges and is available on the Government’s website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-sustainable-transport-fund-what-works.

Volkswagen

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to join in the class action lawsuit against Volkswagen.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We understand that many consumers are seeking independent legal advice on the Volkswagen issue and are prepared to provide any reasonable assistance to consumers who seek compensation directly from Volkswagen. We have engaged with legal firms who are representing consumers. The Government wants to ensure that Volkswagen address consumers concerns and that their rights are protected; we are continuing to consider how best to do this. We have not ruled out opening our own investigation.

Volkswagen

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to pursue Volkswagen for the same level of damages which Volkswagen paid out as a penalty in the United States; and if not, why not.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government wants Volkswagen to face the appropriate legal consequences and is continuing to consider how best to do this. We have not ruled out opening our own investigation. The UK situation is not directly comparable with the United States due to the different legal systems and emissions regulations. However, we have consistently said that Volkswagen’s treatment of UK consumers has not been acceptable and that vehicle owners should be compensated. We will continue to tell Volkswagen that we expect the company to treat UK customers fairly.

M1

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect junctions 16 to 19 of the M1 motorway to be fully operational.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Highways England expected junctions 16 to 19 of the M1 motorway to be fully operational as a smart motorway by the end of March 2017. However, it is likely this will now be delayed and a revised date will be advised in due course. The overall M1 junctions 13 to 19 scheme will still be completed within Highways England’s Delivery Plan target of 2021-2022.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking to improve the safety of drones and to reduce the likelihood of collisions with aircraft, pending the outcome of the current consultation on the safe use of drones.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) work with a wide range of partners, including the British Airline Pilots' Association and the Police, to ensure our understanding of potential hazards to aircraft remains up to date. Work is underway to better understand the risk posed by drones to commercial aircraft and ensure that the regulatory and industry responses remain fit for purpose. We continue to develop proposals which we will put forward in the near future, and in December 2016 the Government launched a consultation to determine if further measures are needed in this area. We have also been working closely with the CAA and industry to adapt and strengthen regulations and implement mitigations as drones use and the related technology evolves. This has led to a new safety awareness campaign aimed at leisure drone users. So far, this has included the launch of a new www.dronesafe.uk website, a #400ftBritain drone photography competition that highlights safety rules, and a free new app ‘Drone Assist’ by NATS, which shows users where they should and should not fly in their locality.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the fall in the value of the pound sterling since the EU referendum, what assessment they have made of the extent to which the closure of the Redcar plant was caused by the value of the pound at that time; and whether, when making decisions concerning other UK steel plants, they will take into consideration possible future fluctuations in the value of the pound.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The closure of SSI Redcar in October 2015 reflected the difficulties facing the steel industry at the time. The main causes were (a) the price of slab steel produced by SSI Redcar, which had almost halved over the previous year (b) 30% overproduction of steel in the global market, and (c) depressed demand which had not returned to pre-recession levels. Since it re-started steel production at the plant in 2012, SSI UK’s losses amounted to £275 million in 2012, £193.5 million in 2013, £81 million in 2014 and £92.5 million up until the end of June 2015. The huge burden of these accumulated debts forced the parent company to file for bankruptcy in Thailand and on 12th October 2015, having received no viable offers from potential buyers, the Official Receiver announced that the coke ovens and blast furnace at Redcar steel would be closed. The Government remains in close contact with steel producers about all the factors that have an impact on the sector, including exchange rates. The Government has launched an Industrial Strategy Green Paper to build an economy which creates the conditions for competitive, world leading businesses right across the UK.

Patents

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the UK patent sector after Britain’s withdrawal from the EU, in particular in the light of their decision to ratify the Unified Patent Court Agreement.

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consult businesses and organisations involved in the use of patents on the ratification of the Unified Patent Court Agreement, in particular asking for views on UK participation in the agreement for up to two years from ratification until leaving the EU; and if so, whether they will complete those consultations before ratification takes place.

Lord Prior of Brampton: On 28 November, the Government confirmed its intention to continue with the process of ratifying the Unified Patent Court Agreement. The EU is not a party to that agreement and ratification should not be seen as pre-empting the UK's position in the forthcoming negotiations with the EU. The options for the UK's intellectual property regime after EU exit, including the UK's future relationship with the Unified Patent Court, are being considered carefully. The Government has engaged and will continue to engage with industry, intellectual property practitioners and other stakeholders to understand what leaving the EU means for all aspects of intellectual property, including patents and the Unified Patent Court.

Aerospace Industry

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of leaving the EU on the UK aerospace industry.

Lord Prior of Brampton: BEIS officials are working closely with the UK aerospace industry to understand the impacts and opportunities of leaving the EU. The Government will continue its longstanding programme of support for the competitiveness of the UK aerospace industry, including pursuing a bold and ambitious Free Trade Agreement with the EU that provides the greatest possible tariff free and frictionless trade in goods and services.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of leaving the EU on the UK automotive industries.

Lord Prior of Brampton: BEIS officials are working closely with the UK automotive industry to understand the impacts and opportunities of leaving the EU. The Government will continue its longstanding programme of support for the competitiveness of the UK automotive industry, including pursuing a bold and ambitious Free Trade Agreement with the EU that provides the greatest possible tariff free and frictionless trade in goods and services.

Trading Standards

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the ability of trading standards organisations to address consumer protection problems, including fraud; and whether they intend to increase the powers of such organisations to address those problems.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government is considering carefully the findings of the National Audit Office’s recent report “Protecting Consumers from Scams, Unfair Trading and Unsafe Goods”, published in December 2016. National Trading Standards already work closely with the Home Office Joint Fraud Taskforce to promote closer cooperation between industry, law enforcement and Government in order to protect the public from fraud. The consumer protection regime will be further examined in the Consumer Green Paper to be published in spring 2017.

Climate Change

Lord Donoughue: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 12 December 2016 (HL3624), whether the criticism set out in the briefing paper Statistical Models and the Global Temperature Record that integrated models are "not consistent with the notion of a climate that is in a steady state" also applies to linear trend models.

Lord Prior of Brampton: As detailed in the briefing paper Statistical Models and the Global Temperature Record by the Chief Scientist of the Met Office, neither integrated nor linear models are consistent with a climate that is in a steady state. Further, these methods do not explicitly include any description of the physical processes affecting global temperatures and therefore have limited capability in providing information on such processes.

Climate Change

Lord Donoughue: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what observational evidence, if any, they have of man-made climate change that is not consistent with reasonably expected natural variation.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The observed increase of global average surface temperature, increase of mean sea level and decline of snow and ice are not consistent with natural internal variability or the influence of external factors. Conversely, the observed changes are consistent with estimates of the Earth’s energy balance which show that, as a result of increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases, the Earth has absorbed more energy from incoming solar radiation than it has emitted back to space. More evidence can be found in the Working Group I contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report.

Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries

Lord Kinnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to respond to the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Steel and Metal Related Industries Steel 2020: Forging a future for the British Steel Industry.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The All Party Parliamentary Group on Steel and Metal Related Industries has written to us with a copy of this report. We appreciate the time and work that has gone into this document which puts forward interesting points and recommendations. These align with the key objectives industry has asked of Government, and we have made good progress in delivering energy cost relief – paying £133m to the steel sector - EU emissions regulations, tackling the dumping of steel in the EU, reforming procurement guidelines and publishing a pipeline of procurement opportunities for the steel sector. Our goal is to work with the UK steel sector to create the right environment for investment and growth. We will continue to engage with the All Party Group as we seek to find a long-term viable solution for the industry.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Central African Republic: Politics and Government

Baroness Berridge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the current security situation in the Central African Republic.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: ​Despite encouraging political advances in the Central African Republic (CAR) in 2016, the security situation remains of grave concern. It is particularly bad outside the capital Bangui, where violence, looting and human rights abuses continue to occur with impunity with recent reports indicating that the violence has grown more severe since September 2016. We continue to advise against all travel to CAR.

Central African Republic: Armed Conflict

Baroness Berridge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of a new armed militia group, 3R, operating in Cameroon and the Central African Republic border region; and of the capacity of that group, the weapons they possess, the impact on the distribution of aid in that region, and whether they control any territory in that border region.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware of the emergence of a new armed militia group called "Return, Reclamation, Rehabilitation," or "3R" which operates in the north of the Central African Republic (CAR). This group, and other militias operating in the transhumance corridors in the Ouham prefecture in northern CAR, are responsible for some of the most violent incidents reported in the country in the last 12 months.We are also aware of recent claims that 3R is responsible for sexual violence, burning villages and displacing vulnerable people, with some reports listing the number of those displaced at 17,000. However, we do not hold information on the capacity of 3R or the weapons they possess.We support President Touadera's efforts to implement disarmament, demobilization, repatriation and reintegration and call on all armed groups in the CAR to engage in the government's dialogue.

Gambia: Politics and Government

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they are having with partners in the Commonwealth, the UN, the EU and NATO over measures to resolve the political difficulties in The Gambia caused by the refusal of former President Jammeh to leave office.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK welcomes the successful efforts of the Economic Community of West African States which led to Mr Jammeh's departure from Gambia, in accordance with the election result, on 22 January.

Giulio Regeni

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in the investigation of the killing of Giulio Regeni in Egypt in January 2016; and whether they have received any representations from, or are aware of any concerns expressed by, the Italian authorities with regard to the co-operation of UK institutions in the Italian investigations.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We were appalled by the murder of Giulio Regeni in Cairo. We continue to offer the Italian Authorities our full support with the investigation. We have discussed the investigation with them on a number of occasions. We are not aware that they have any current concerns regarding the cooperation from UK institutions.The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood) has raised Mr Regeni's case on multiple occasions with the Egyptian Ambassador to London. Her Majesty's Ambassador to Cairo and senior officials have also raised Mr Regeni's case with the Egyptian authorities in London and Cairo; underlining the need for a full and transparent investigation.We are aware of recent reports that the Egyptian Public Prosecution has allowed Italian experts to examine CCTV recordings in Cairo and recent visits undertaken by Italian prosecutors to Cairo. We will continue to offer our support in the investigation and to monitor the case closely.

Cameroon: Boko Haram

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance, in any form, they are providing to the government of Cameroon in their campaign against Boko Haram insurgency in the Far North Region and in efforts to bring lasting peace to the Far North Region.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK is committed to supporting Cameroon and its neighbours in the fight against Boko Haram. We provided £5 million to support the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) a regional force against Boko Haram of which Cameroon is a member.In our engagement in the region, including with President Biya, we regularly re-affirm our commitment to supporting Cameroon and its partners in defeating Boko Haram while also encouraging them to address the root causes of violent extremism. We worked with the Mayor of London's Strong Cities Initiative to send five Cameroonian mayors to participate in the first annual summit in Turkey in May 2016, to help share ideas among municipal authorities globally in efforts to counter violent extremism at the city level.We are deeply concerned about the scale of the humanitarian crisis across the Lake Chad Basin. This will require a sustained, multi-year response to support communities devastated by the conflict. The UK has increased its humanitarian support to the region and will provide an additional £80 million of humanitarian aid to help provide support to some of the 10.7 million people across the Lake Chad Basin who are in urgent need due to the conflict. This is in addition to almost £90 million of humanitarian aid that we are already delivering in the region.

Iran: Nuclear Power

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure the continued successful implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action regarding Iran.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government remains committed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. We are working with our international partners to ensure that Iran complies with its nuclear obligations and that the International Atomic Energy Agency can verify this with their unprecedented access. We remain committed to ensuring that Iran gains tangible benefits from sanctions relief under the deal and we are providing support in London and Tehran to UK businesses to help them take advantage of new commercial opportunities.

Israel: Palestinians

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they did not sign the Paris Middle East peace conference joint declaration on 15 January; whether that decision reflects a change in UK policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and if so, why; and on what previous occasions they have not signed such a statement reaffirming commitment to the two-state solution.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK decided to attend the Paris Conference only as an observer and, in that capacity, we did not sign up to the Communiqué. The UK welcomes France's efforts to promote peace but we repeatedly expressed reservations about holding a conference so close to the change of US administration, and without the attendance of the two main parties. The UK’s policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is unchanged. We remain committed to achieving a two-state solution as the only viable long term solution. We joined international partners in giving strong backing to the Quartet’s report in July 2016 and our position was reflected in our support for Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016) on 23 December.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Parliament: Correspondence

Lord Norton of Louth: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how many items of correspondence were received in the Palace of Westminster in 2016; and of those, what proportion was received in the House of Lords.

Lord Laming: The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chairman of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf.In total, 1,652,317 items of mail were received in the Palace of Westminster in 2016. The Administration does not count which House each item goes to but estimates that approximately 30 per cent of these items were destined for the House of Lords. These figures do not include parcels, courier items or internal mail.

Parliament: Internet

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker why access to the "Religion of Peace" website is not available on the Parliamentary estate.

Lord McFall of Alcluith: The Parliamentary Digital Service uses an industry standard categorising service, the “Religion of Peace” website is blocked as part of this automated service as it is classified as a religion-based hate website by the categorising service.

Department for Education

Voluntary Work: Young People

Lord Faulkner of Worcester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to repeal section 1 of the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act 1920 insofar as that provision applies to voluntary work by persons under the age of 16 engaged in heritage railways, canal charities and similar undertakings.

Lord Nash: The Government has no current plans to repeal this legislation, but we are keeping the legislation under review. We appreciate the valuable work done by the organisations mentioned, and understand that young people may benefit from volunteering, but it is important that young people in employment, whether volunteers or paid employees, work safely in suitable environments.

Secondary Education: Expenditure

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of maintained secondary schools spent more than their incomes between 2010–11 and 2014–15.

Lord Nash: Data on the proportion of maintained secondary schools who spent more than their income over the last seven years is published in the ‘Statistical First Release LA and school expenditure: 2015 to 2016 Financial Year’. The specific data can be found in Table 5 of the spreadsheet which is attached. In 2015-16 the total revenue balance across all local authority maintained schools was £2.1 billion. This amounts to an average revenue balance in each local authority maintained school of £124,000, which equates to 7.5% on their total revenue income. Between 2010-11 and 2015-16 average revenue balance in all local authority schools rose by £33,647, a rise of 37%.



maintained_secondary_schools
(Excel SpreadSheet, 24.55 KB)

Schools: Homophobia

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cases of homophobic bullying were recorded in schools in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Lord Nash: The Government does not hold information on the number of homophobic cases of bullying recorded in schools. The recording of incidents of bullying is managed locally by schools. We are, however, investigating overall prevalence rates for a range of types of bullying, including homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying, through surveys such as the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) Teacher Voice and Pupil and Parent/Carer omnibus surveys which will report later this year.

Arts: Youth Organisations

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding was provided in 2016 by the Department for Education for (1) the National Youth Orchestra, (2) the National Youth Dance Company, and (3) the National Youth Theatre.

Lord Nash: The National Youth Orchestra is one of seven national youth music organisations funded jointly by the Department for Education and Arts Council England at a cost of £1,039,820. The National Youth Orchestra is receiving £250,000 of this funding. The National Youth Dance Company is receiving £200,000 from the Department for Education and £250,000 from Arts Council England. The National Youth Theatre is receiving £305,769 from Arts Council England and is not funded by the Department for Education. All figures relate to the 2016-17 financial year.

Equal Pay

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the introduction of mandatory gender pay gap reporting under the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017 is intended to facilitate the use by the Equality and Human Rights Commission of their enforcement powers relating to the elimination of unlawful sexual discrimination in the field of employment.

Lord Nash: Non-compliance with the regulations will constitute an ‘unlawful act’ and fall within the existing enforcement powers of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) under the Equality Act 2006. The EHRC can investigate an employer who it suspects of committing an unlawful act, with a view to making them put it right.

Schools: Homophobia

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cases there have been of homophobic bullying recorded in schools in each of the last three years; and what plans they have, if any, to increase awareness of LGBT rights amongst young people.

Lord Nash: The Government does not hold information on the number of cases of homophobic bullying recorded in schools, as the recording of instances of bullying is managed locally by schools. Nonetheless, we are examining the overall prevalence of a range of types of bullying, including homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic bullying, through surveys such as the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) Teacher Voice and the Pupil and Parent/Carer omnibus surveys, which will report later this year. We are committed to promoting LGB&T equality, including amongst young people. We are currently investing £2.8 million in a three-year programme to prevent and address homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in schools.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Sentences

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Baroness Goldie on 22 November (HL Deb, col 1838) concerning the central unit which is being set up to assess indeterminate sentences, what its remit will be, how many full-time equivalent staff will work for it, what its budget will be, and how it will interact with the National Offender Management Service.

Lord Keen of Elie: The Public Protection Casework Section (PPCS) of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is responsible for co-ordinating all information and activity for the parole reviews of indeterminate sentence prisoners. A new discreet unit within PPCS has been established, funded from existing budgets, to augment and enhance the work of PPCS, by focusing on those cases which are particularly complex and where additional support is needed to resolve issues identified during the parole process, without compromising either the integrity of the process or the assessment of risk. Up to 15 full-time equivalent staff will work in the unit.

Birmingham Prison

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by Lord Keen of Elie on 19 December (HL Deb, cols 1530–1540) on the serious disturbance at HM Prison Birmingham, whether they had been warned two months previously of the risk of a riot, and if so, what action, if any, was taken to forestall it.

Lord Keen of Elie: There is no evidence at this stage that any warning or intelligence had been received indicating that there was an increased risk of serious active concerted indiscipline taking place at HMP Birmingham prior to the disturbance on 16 December. The Secretary of State for Justice has ordered a full investigation into the disturbance at HMP Birmingham, which will be led by Sarah Payne, adviser to the independent Chief Inspector of Probation and former Director of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) in Wales.

Wrexham Prison

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many prison officers they plan to recruit for the new HM Prison Wrexham; and whether this number is included in their estimate of 8000 officers to be recruited by 2018.

Lord Keen of Elie: The overall agreed Band 3 – 5 prison officer number for Berwyn when fully open is 438 which is part of the overall 8,000 we plan to recruit. This will be subject to on-going review once the prison is fully open. Prison Officer recruitment at HMP Berwyn has been ongoing since early 2015. We are on track to recruit the staff we need in readiness to open the prison next month.

Prison Officers

Lord Beith: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people are currently on the prison officer reserve list; what proportion of those on the reserve list have received training in the duties of a prison officer; and how many of those on the reserve list have been deployed to assist in prisons following the riot in HM Prison Birmingham.

Lord Keen of Elie: We currently offer permanent flexible contracts to ex-prison officers under the HMPS Reserve Scheme which was established in November 2015. Under the HMPS Reserve Scheme, we offer a permanent flexible contract to prison officers who have left voluntarily within the preceding 2 years. These staff will work flexibly to meet the needs of the estate. This helps to support the current operational workforce across the estate and to complement existing methods for meeting the staffing needs of prisons around the country. HMPS Reserve staff provide a valuable flexible resource for NOMS by supporting prison regimes and as at 30 September 2016, the date of the most recent published figures, there were 10 prison officer reserves and they continue to be deployed on an on-going basis across the Service in support of existing staff including after the riot in HMP Birmingham.

Judiciary

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Keen of Elie on 14 December 2016 (HL3710) on the duty of the Lord Chancellor and other Ministers to uphold the independence of the judiciary, whether they will now answer the question asked about how that duty should be performed.

Lord Keen of Elie: The Cabinet Manual is clear that this is a wide reaching duty, and affords necessary discretion on how it is fulfilled.

Ministry of Defence

South Korea: Military Exercises

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role UK forces played in annual war-games on the Korean peninsula in 2016.

Earl Howe: As a sending state to the United Nations Command in the Republic of Korea (ROK) and in common with other nations, the UK sends personnel to participate in two exercises conducted each year in the ROK. In 2016, the UK sent 56 personnel to Exercise Key Resolve (22 filling staff posts in a Headquarters and 34 in a UK Brigade HQ) and 22 personnel to Exercise Ulchi Freedom Guardian (all filling staff posts in a Headquarters).

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Bovine Tuberculosis

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 16 December 2016 (HLWS369), when in 2017 they intend to apply for Officially TB free status in the Low Risk Area of the country, and what the process for applying for that status will be.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: We aim to apply to the European Commission for Officially TB Free status (OTF) of the Low Risk Area of England (LRA) later in 2017. In brief, the application process entails the submission by the UK of a dossier with evidence demonstrating to the Commission that the LRA complies with the requirements specified in Council Directive 64/432/EEC (essentially a very low and stable herd incidence and prevalence of bovine TB for the last six years). The dossier will also have to set out the legislation and control measures that are in place to protect the favourable disease status of the LRA. All this evidence will be reviewed by the relevant Commission officials who may request further information from the UK before reaching a conclusion. If the Commission is satisfied with the evidence it will make a recommendation for the other EU Member States to recognise the LRA as an OTF region of the UK. Following ratification of the Commission’s recommendation by a majority of the EU Member States sitting at the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (SCoPAFF), the Commission will publish a formal declaration of OTF status in the Official Journal of the EU.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Agriculture

Lord Cameron of Dillington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, with reference to the recent Bilateral Aid Review, how they intend to use UK aid to enable smallholder farmers to connect to local, regional and global markets.

Lord Bates: Increasing the inclusion of smallholder farmers in markets and improving their incomes sustainably are key objectives of DFID’s Agricultural Policy.DFID will deliver this by improving smallholder capacity, productivity and access to local, regional and global markets and by strengthening the markets and businesses that trade with smallholders.For example, our work with AgDevCo is improving smallholder incomes and market access, benefiting 1.7 million people in smallholder families by 2019.

Developing Countries: Employment

Lord Cameron of Dillington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, with reference to the 2015 Conceptual Framework on Agriculture and the recent Bilateral and Multilateral Aid Reviews, how they intend to use UK aid to facilitate transitions from subsistence agriculture to off-farm job opportunities in rural economies.

Lord Bates: Increasing the inclusion of smallholder farmers in markets and improving their incomes sustainably are key objectives of DFID’s Agricultural Policy.DFID is helping poor farmers to increase their incomes and transition into more productive livelihoods. In Burma, for example, the Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund has supported rural transitions for over 1.63 million poor farmers since 2010.In future, DFID will examine opportunities to further improve smallholder capacity, productivity and access to local, regional and global markets and strengthen the markets and businesses that trade with smallholders.

Department of Health

Cancer

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made on collecting data for metastatic cancers and how will this be used to inform future workforce planning.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: The National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS) is part of Public Health England and supports the direct reporting of data on all cancers by hospital trusts, as part of the Cancer Outcomes and Services Dataset (COSD). All people whose cancer is metastatic at diagnosis are recorded by NCRAS. The overall staging completeness of all cancers recorded by NCRAS exceeds 80%. Those people whose cancer progresses or recurs after treatment have historically not been recorded. However, NCRAS is developing the next version of COSD to support direct recording of these cases wherever possible. Recurrent cancer (which may or may not be metastatic) has been able to be recorded in COSD since 2013 for breast cancer and since 2015 for all cancers. NCRAS is helping trusts improve their reporting by visiting them, providing reporting guidance, and by giving rapid feedback on the number of recurrences they have submitted to NCRAS.NCRAS is committed to publishing accurate and timely data on all cancers, allowing national and local commissioners to plan requirements for cancer care, including workforce, for the population.

Social Services: Fees and Charges

Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the savings industry about (1) new insurance products to help provide for later life care needs, and (2) new savings products to help people provide for later life care needs; when any such discussions took place; and whether they were productive.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: Officials have met regularly with representatives of the insurance industry for productive discussions on a range of issues, including the availability of insurance and savings products to cover the costs of care.

Skin Piercing: Children

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to protect girls under the age of 18 from having genital piercings.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: The Department is responsible for the confirmation of byelaws for regulating cosmetic piercing and skin-colouring businesses in England under Section 236 of the Local Government Act 1972. Local authorities are responsible for the regulation of piercing providers, under the Local Government Act 2003 and may implement byelaws establishing, among other things, a minimum permitted age for individuals undergoing piercing. The guidance, Local Government Act 2003: Regulation of Cosmetic Piercing and Skin-Colouring Business – Guidance on Section 120 and Schedule 6, published in 2013 and endorsed by Public Health England in collaboration with The Chartered Institute for Environmental Health, The Health and Safety Laboratory, local authorities in England and tattooing and piercing industry, emphasises the importance of securing consent for a piercing procedure and the need to take into account the maturity of the individual consenting. A copy of the guidance is attached. Piercing an individual without appropriate consent may constitute assault, and genital piercing of children may also constitute an offence under the Sexual Offences Act 1956. Enforcement of the criminal law is a matter for the police. 



Local Govt Act 2003 Guidance
(PDF Document, 141.04 KB)

NHS: Private Sector

Lord Owen: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the figure of £8,722,000 stated by the Department of Health in its Annual Report and Accounts 2015–16 (HC322) as the amount spent in purchasing services from Independent Sector Providers includes amounts (1) spent by NHS Trusts and NHS Foundation Trusts on such providers, and (2) paid under Private Finance Initiative and Private Finance 2 projects; and, if so, whether they will publish the respective amounts.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: The £8.722 million figure in Departmental accounts is the total value of NHS England commissioners’ contracts with private sector providers in 2015-16. This includes all types of secondary care, but not primary or social care. This does not include services contracted between individual trusts or foundation trusts and independent sector providers or any private finance arrangements.

NHS: Interpreters

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the additional costs of interpreters required for NHS patients who do not speak English.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: The information requested is not held centrally.

Mental Health Services

Lord Porter of Spalding: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen on 13 December 2016 (HL3690), whether NHS England’s Advisory and Oversight Group, with respect to its role in monitoring and supporting the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, would benefit from the inclusion of local government representatives such as the Local Government Association or the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: NHS England has confirmed that a representative from the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services is now a member of NHS England’s Advisory and Oversight Group.

Hospitals

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether NHS hospitals have the legal power to refuse treatment to patients on the basis of their smoking or any other lifestyle habit.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts do not have the power to refuse treatment to patients on the basis of lifestyle habits. However, the NHS Constitution does ask patients to recognise that they can make a significant contribution to their own health and wellbeing, and that treatment may be delayed where a change in lifestyle factors is likely to improve the outcome.  The Handbook to the NHS Constitution states: “The right to treatment within 18 weeks from referral will cease to apply in circumstances where… delaying the start of your treatment is in your best clinical interests, for example where smoking cessation or weight management is likely to improve the outcome of the treatment.”

Cancer: Drugs

Baroness Redfern: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to make the combination treatment of chemotherapy drugs gemcitabine and capecitabine available to all eligible NHS patients.

Lord O'Shaughnessy: Although gemcitabine and capecitabine in combination are not licensed for the treatment or prevention of pancreatic cancer, there is no legal or regulatory barrier to healthcare professionals prescribing them ‘off-licence’ for this purpose on the National Health Service, subject to any local funding policies, if they believe that it is clinically appropriate to do so. In the absence of guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, NHS commissioners should make decisions on the availability of treatments based on an assessment of the available evidence.